An Agreement for Early Decision form (PDF) must be completed, in addition to the standard application form. Candidates should return this form and all other required admission application materials to the Admissions Office no later than December 1.

This option is available to prospective students who, after careful consideration of their future plans and a thorough investigation of a range of law schools, have concluded that Brooklyn Law School will provide them with a legal education which will fulfill their needs and expectations. Students who are certain that Brooklyn Law School is their first-choice institution and want to simplify the law school admission process are encouraged to apply as Early Decision candidates. Candidates for either the full-time or part-time division are eligible to apply under the Early Decision Admission Option

Admission as an Early Decision applicant has several benefits. Early notification of acceptance will enable the applicant to avoid the anxiety typically associated with the traditional law school application process, as well as the expense and time involved with completing applications to other schools. In addition, a successful early outcome will allow candidates to resume their normal academic, professional and personal lives and get an earlier start in making specific plans for law school in the fall.

Early Decision candidates must complete their Brooklyn Law School admission application by December 1. Only complete applications are considered for admission. An application is considered complete when all required documents have been received by the School’s Office of Admissions. Candidates are advised to consider the several weeks it will take the LSAC Credential Assembly Service to process their CAS report, and incorporate this into their application timelines. Early Decision candidates must take the LSAT no later than the October test date to be considered for this option.

Early Decision candidates will be evaluated by the Admissions Committee using the same selection criteria as those for applicants who apply under the regular admissions program. Thus, applying early will not afford candidates a significant advantage in the review process; however, consideration will be given to the fact that they have chosen Brooklyn Law School as their first-choice institution.

Early Decision candidates will be notified in late December as to whether they have been accepted or denied, or wait-listed, in which case the Admissions Committee has chosen to postpone its final decision until a re-evaluation of applications during the regular review period in the spring. Wait-listed status has no direct consequence or effect on any final decision reached during that later review. It is anticipated that some candidates wait-listed at the Early Decision stage may ultimately be offered admission through our regular review process.

Applicants must remember that an offer of admission through the Brooklyn Law School Early Decision Admission Option is binding. If granted admission, Early Decision applicants must agree to matriculate here, may not initiate any new law school applications, and must agree to withdraw any applications they may have pending at other law schools. Candidates who are wait-listed through the Early Decision Admission Option are released from this binding commitment.

Early Decision candidates who wish to be considered for financial aid may request an Early Decision Financial Aid Fact Sheet. This fact sheet helps candidates determine whether they will be eligible for federal financial aid, and the maximum amounts available in federal aid to law school students. It also helps candidates understand the application process if they are interested in applying for a Brooklyn Law School Need Grant. Because prospective students cannot file their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) until after January 1 of the year they will attend school, this fact sheet contains general information only. The Office of Financial Aid cannot guarantee student-specific financial aid until the office receives a Student Aid Report based on the prospective student’s FAFSA application.

Full-time Enrollment
The full-time Juris Doctor degree program requires three years of full-time attendance and is available only to those who devote a substantial amount or all their working time to the study of law.

Part-time Enrollment
The standard part-time program requires four years of study, and evening classes are typically held Monday through Thursday, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm.

Applicants who are neither citizens of the United States nor permanent residents at the time of their application to Brooklyn Law School must also complete an International Student Questionnaire or hard copy from our application packet. Please note that the application for admission will be considered incomplete, and no action will be taken, without the receipt of a properly executed International Student Questionnaire.

Applicants whose education has been obtained abroad, including graduates of international law schools, may become candidates for the Juris Doctor degree. (Candidates for the Foreign Trained Lawyers Program should follow the special requirements and procedures outlined for that program.)

Applicants with international academic credentials must follow the regular admission procedures described for entering first-year students, including submission of the Law School's admission application to the Admissions Office. Applicants with international credentials who are applying for admission as first-year students in the Juris Doctor degree program are required to submit a score on a recently taken Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Official academic transcripts from any international college, university, graduate school or professional school attended must also be submitted.

Furthermore, we require that transcripts of international academic credentials be submitted through the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service (CAS). If you completed any postsecondary academic work outside the U.S. (including its territories) or Canada, you must use this service for the evaluation of your credentials. The only exception to this requirement is if you completed the foreign work through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the LSDAS subscription fee. A foreign credential evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your LSDAS report. To use JD CAS, log in to your online account and follow the instructions to register for the service. Be sure to print out a Transcript Request Form for each institution and send it to them promptly. Please note that more time is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. (See "When to Submit an Application," above.)

Questions about the JD Credential Assembly Service should be directed to LSAC at (215) 968-1001, or LSACINFO@lsac.org.

Applicants who have completed work at a law school located outside the United States are usually required to enroll for the entire first-year program of study. The Law School does not give advanced standing for any coursework completed at an international law school. It is recommended that the application be submitted as early as possible prior to the fall semester for which admission is sought.

August 1 deadline; earlier application is recommended. Fall entry only.

A transfer applicant must have attended a law school that is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Depending upon the credits and scope of courses taken compared with Brooklyn Law School's required first-year program of study, students admitted with advanced standing may transfer up to 35 credits earned at their prior law school.

Typically, the most serious consideration is given to transfer applicants who offer numeric and other credentials that would have been competitive for admission to the class they seek to join and who currently maintain a cumulative weighted average of approximately 3.00 (B) or better at their prior law school.

Transfer applicants must complete the Law School's application for admission. Additional materials (listed below) are required from transfer applicants, as well. No action will be taken on a transfer application until all required documents have been received by the Admissions Office.

Transfer applicants may seek an accelerated decision by submitting an application as soon as fall semester grades earned at the prior law school are officially released. If admitted, such candidates for the next fall may be notified of their admission in early spring instead of needing to await mid-summer notification. Such early action admission offers remain subject to proof of commensurate academic performance and continued good standing during the entire first year at the prior law school. This accelerated option remains available until May 1. Thereafter, the Committee on Admissions will expect to see fall and spring semester grades before reaching any decision. 

Other transfer candidates are urged to apply by early June, with all first-year grades submitted by early July for purposes of admission that fall.

Additional materials required from applicants applying for transfer admission with advanced standing include:

•A letter from the Dean's Office of the applicant's prior law school attesting to the fact that the applicant is in good standing and eligible to continue matriculation at the school;
•An official academic transcript from the prior law school indicating all coursework completed and grades received;
•A statement from the applicant explaining the reasons for requesting transfer admission;
•A newly issued CAS Law School Report (Brooklyn Law School will not accept a copy of the CAS report already on file with the prior school. A new registration with CAS might be necessary.);
•Two (2) faculty letters of recommendation. Not required, but helpful, are one or more letters of recommendation from faculty at the prior law school.

Applicants accepted for admission with advanced standing are mailed an analysis of the academic credits they earned at their previously attended law school that Brooklyn Law School will accept, as well as notification of any courses that they must take here to satisfy our degree requirements.

Transfer students are generally granted the credit hours earned in courses required in the first year at Brooklyn Law School, provided that they have grades of C or higher. They may not receive more than 30 credits for such courses. Elective courses may be credited, but in no event will more than 35 credits be allowed for students transferring to Brooklyn Law School after completing their first year at another school.

While transfer admittees receive advanced standing for some or all of the work they have completed at their previous law school, they will enter Brooklyn Law School with no grade point average. In other words, no grades earned at their previous law school will be included in the computation of their Brooklyn Law School grade point average, even while the advanced standing credit approved by the Law School will count towards their degree requirements at Brooklyn Law School. Their future academic standing at Brooklyn Law School will be based solely on grades earned here.